Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Dr Amit Aggarwal, said, “From Chief Minister to health officials, including Covid warriors, are working on a war footing to ensure adequate arrangements are made to tackle this pandemic. Therefore, creating positive atmosphere is the need of the hour." (File Photo/Representational) Haryana Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan on Thursday asked Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to take action against people who are spreading rumours like the 5G network trials were responsible for the spread of Covid-19 in the state .
“As you might be aware misinformation attributing the fatalities and health problems being faced by people due to the Covid-19 virus, is being attributed to testing of 5G towers. This has led to some incidents in the state resulting in mobile towers/ network being damaged by some misguided elements,” the order issued by Vardhan read.
It added, “The World Health Organisation has clarified that such rumours are misplaced as viruses cannot travel on radio waves/mobile network. Other concerned organisations have also debunked such claims. The Department of Telecommunication has clarified that linking the 5G network technology with Covid-19 pandemic has no scientific basis. Besides, the testing of 5G network has not yet started in India. Hence, the apprehension that 5G trials/networks causing Covid in India is baseless and devoid of any merit. I would, therefore, advise you to safeguard telecom infrastructure and other related assets in your district and take strict, coercive and immediate action against any miscreant spreading such rumours.”
Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Dr Amit Aggarwal, said, “From Chief Minister to health officials, including Covid warriors, are working on a war footing to ensure adequate arrangements are made to tackle this pandemic. Therefore, creating positive atmosphere is the need of the hour. Every DIPRO in the state has been asked to closely monitor Facebook pages, Twitter, YouTube, web portals, news channels, other social media platforms to track those involved in circulating fake news, spreading sensationalism and misinformation about Covid-19.”
Dr Aggarwal added, “If any information received from social media or anywhere else is found to be misleading, then necessary information highlighting the factuality should be done in a time-bound manner.”
All agriculture and horticulture activities to remain fully functional
All agriculture and horticulture activities — including farming operations, agencies engaged in procurement of agriculture products, including MSP operations and ‘Mandis’ operated by the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) or as notified by the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, Haryana (like Satellite mandis) will remain functional in Haryana.
“Direct marketing operations by the state government or by industry, directly from farmers or group of farmers, FPOs’, co-operatives will remain fully functional. Apart from this, the department concerned may promote decentralized marketing and procurement at the village level. Shops of agriculture machinery, its spare parts (including its supply chain) and repairs and ‘Custom Hiring Centres ‘ related to farm machinery will also remain open”, a government spokesperson said.
“Manufacturing, distribution and sale of fertilizers, pesticides and seeds and movement (inter and intra-state) of harvesting and sowing related machines is permitted,” the spokesperson added.
Fisheries
Fisheries activities — operations of fishing (marine and inland)/aquaculture industry, including feeding and maintenance, harvesting, processing, packaging, cold chain, sale and marketing, hatcheries, feed plants, commercial aquaria — will also remain functional. Besides this, movement of fish/ shrimp and fish products, fish seed/feed and workers for all these activities is permitted.
Animal husbandry
Collection, processing, distribution and sale of milk and milk products by milk processing plants will remain functional. Operation of animal husbandry farms including poultry farms and hatcheries and livestock farming activity and animal feed manufacturing and feed plants, including supply of raw material, such as maize and soya will also remain functional. Operation of animal shelter homes including Gaushalas will also be allowed.
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